A Chance Meeting
by Digi-Dolphin
Summary: For PhantomGirl12, for being so patient despite my lack of updates for UoS which I am still finishing up . Michael gets a once in a lifetime chance to meet some legendaries, and finds they're just like him. Sort of.
1. Snagger and Snagger

The sandstorm had kicked up without warning, leaving Michael with precious little time to find shelter. There was a rock formation nearby, little more than a slab of stone jutting out of the dunes that provided a space where the winds passed over. Michael jetted his scooter into the protection of the stone's lee and dismounted, curling himself behind it for extra cover. He wasn't used to extended travel through the open desert, having spent most of his life in the oasis pockets that clustered closest to the infant rivers and lakes that stretched into Orre.

"Can't they even try to predict these things?" the redhead muttered, shielding his face behind the silver device on his left arm, the Snag Machine MKII. The researchers had told him it was the second one in existence, modeled after one that had been used eight years ago by someone who rebelled against Team Snagem. They claimed the silver machine was an upgraded model, built to work with the Aura Reader and styled to look less menacing than the original. And yet rumors went in the cities that the Snag Machine the 'Prince of the Desert' wore was capable of perfect snags, without even needing to weaken the target in a battle.

It had been a childhood dream of Michael's to someday meet the Prince and Princess of the Desert, the heroes of Orre that defeated Cipher eight years ago. There was talk of them wandering the region, leaving behind lush oases as they moved. The new founded Terra Corporation took credit for the miraculous terraforming and always disavowed any knowledge of the couple's location. This was commanded by the young royals themselves.

Orre was ruled by a council of elected officials under a governor in Phenac City, with three branches of government spread to three towns. For an infant government system, it worked to a certain degree, with a few tangles here and there and the occasional corrupt official who would wind up lost in a sandstorm for a day, emerging to beg for a place in jail. All in all, not bad. And yet, there were factions of people all over Orre who pushed for the region to become a regency or kingdom, thereby placing the Prince and Princess in their rightful places as rulers of Orre.

The royal couple made no comment on it, simply smirked at one another before vanishing into the desert they loved with not so much as a wave.

"Would it have been too much to ask for a simple yes or no?" Michael sighed, listening to the winds howling as sand piled up around his shelter while he reflected on that story. Maybe it was; no one ever could get them to show up anywhere long enough for an interview or a cup of coffee. They'd appear from time to time, running normal errands like grocery shopping or hitting up a Pokémon Center for healing, but by the time anyone got out of their shocked frozen moments to do anything, the couple would be gone.

The boy shifted suddenly, catching his thoughts wandering. The sandstorm was beginning to fade, but the heat of the sands surrounding him still was starting to burn and make him feel both itchy and dizzy. He wished for cool forests and light breezes to replace the harsh desert and fiery winds. The sand piled higher, no matter how much he moved around to keep it off of him. Oh, why couldn't the terraforming be done faster? What was the hold-up? The sooner this stupid desert was gone, the better everyone would be, right? Michael grimaced as the winds blew harder, sweeping more sand over him as punishment for his thoughts.

Stupid desert. He hunched down as far as he could, listening to the storm finally fade after that blast. Another few minutes just to be sure, and the boy pulled himself unsteadily from under the pile of sand and pebbles that had tried to bury him alive. He spat some of the grit out and proceeded to struggle with the effort of hauling his scooter out of the shelter. Sand had gotten into it or something, as the engine refused to start up and the wheels were a pain to get moving. The sun beat down on him, shining in a hot fury while Michael worked to get the scooter freed and operating.

He began chuckling after a while, sweat dripping from his face as he ran one hand through his spiky hair. What was he doing? Why was he even out here in this Ho-Oh forsaken place? He didn't belong out in the middle of the sand and the rocks and those Skarmories circling overhead like they were eyeing him for lunch. He should be at home, with his mom and his sister and helping out in the lab. He should be hanging out with friends, playing with his Eevee, messing around in the battle simulator, collecting more stories about the Prince of the Desert... anywhere but here!

The chuckling turned to laughter and tears as he collapsed against the scooter. What was he doing? What had he been thinking when he agreed to put on the Snag Machine and the Aura Reader and just take off on some 'save Orre' crap mission? Who the hell did he think he was? The legendary Snagger he heard about in the stories? He wasn't fooling anyone, that's for sure. He was lucky those first few times, that's all. Got some easy Snags and used them to whale through several battles. Hero of Orre, he was not.

He laughed and cried until even those began to fade as his mind swam in the desert heat. Michael managed another chuckle as he started to realize what was happening. Delirium, the heat was driving him crazy, killing him with despair and the scorching climate. He was soft, too soft; this desert was just eating him up. He hiccuped and closed his eyes against the light, sagging against the scooter. Might as well just throw in the towel, since he wasn't getting out of this place anytime soon. Not with his scooter stalled and him being stupid enough to not carry enough water with him on this trip. He could blame the sandstorm for that last one, though. He'd have had plenty of water if he hadn't been caught by that storm and drank it up through the little straw as he curled up under that stone.

Something was crunching the sand nearby. Sounded like footsteps. Michael wanted to open his eyes, call out for help. Maybe someone spotted him? Sand seemed to glue his eyes shut, weighed down his body. Felt much nicer to just lie here, limp against the gleaming white of his scooter. Who would be out here anyway? Fools and death-wishers only. He should know. He was one of them. Crunch, crunch. Sounded louder. Closer.

"Mom..." Michael mumbled. Would have said his sister's name but his cracked lips stumbled over the word as his awareness began to dim. Footsteps stopped. Shadow fell, felt cooler now. Sun was being blocked. What was there? Animals, come to eat him. He whimpered, felt something brush against his cheek, and then there was nothing.

* * *

Consciousness was slow in coming back, but it came and Michael gagged for a second when something wet was pressed against his mouth. Wet. Water!

"Suck on this. You'll get the water without killing yourself, like some idiots I've seen." an older man's voice ordered him. Michael snapped at the object, clenching cloth between his teeth as he sucked at the cool water soaking it. That voice, it wasn't familiar. He didn't know anyone who sounded as harsh as the desert like that. Well, he was saved, at least, so maybe it was some good Samaritan who found him in the sands and hauled him home to be taken care of.

He chewed the cloth once he'd had his fill of the water and it was taken from him. Something was covering his eyes; he'd tried opening them and found it still dark, and the feel of cloth around his head kept him from flailing in a panic at the idea that he'd gone blind. He reached to push it away, only to discover with a jolt that his wrists were tied together behind his back. His ankles, too! Now, he was panicking. Where was he? Who did this to him? Michael began struggling and cried in alarm as his shoulders were held down firmly.

"Don't fight. You won't win against me. This is for your own safety, until I decide whether or not you deserve to still be alive after all this." the voice growled softly, dark and threatening. This guy wasn't kidding! Michael froze stiffly, swallowing a dry lump in his throat. Was he going to be killed? Why? He was just a kid! "I have questions. You have answers. I'm certain you know where this is going. Nod if you understand." Michael nodded quickly, eager to show that he was very cooperative and not deserving of any kind of torture or death this nut might think was necessary.

He really wished his Pokémon could pop out of their PokéBalls on their own and save him. That feature would be soooo useful about now.

"This machine you were wearing on your arm. It's a Snag Machine. Where did you get it?" the voice growled.

"I..." Michael croaked out hoarsely and clenched his teeth again. This guy knew what it was! What if he was one of the bad guys? Maybe he could make something up; some lie that would make the nut think twice about hurting him? "I inherited it... from a relative... He defeated Cipher with it and passed it to me to do it again." He choked as his throat began to be squeezed and he renewed his struggles. Okay, bad idea, bad idea!

"Don't lie to me. This machine was built by the scientists of the Pokémon Research Laboratory. It's a pale copy of the one that was originally used. Did you steal this machine?" the voice snarled in a fury. The pressure lessened and Michael gasped.

"No! It was given to me!" he exclaimed, "Honest! I'm just a rookie Snagger!" The grip on his neck vanished; had he surprised the other guy?

"Another one? I thought I... No. Team Snagem doesn't exist like that anymore." the voice mused aloud, a confused tone painting it, "So then this... Ah, that explains the ruckus over there."

"Um, is it okay if I asked what you're talking about?" Michael questioned hesitantly, twisting his hands in an effort to free himself without notice. If he could just get hold of a PokéBall, he might be able to cause enough distraction to get loose and get out of here. Wherever 'here' was.

"No. And stop struggling. I'm not blind." the voice griped. A moment more of silence, then. "Hey, Jupe. What's your read on this kid? Is he playing it straight or just playing?" Michael turned his head, trying to figure out who the older man was talking to. Was there someone else nearby? A damp nose pressed against his cheek, an animal's nose. He was sniffed at, he could feel warm air passing against his skin, and then the sounds of 'Espi, epi' or something filled the air and Michael jolted again. An Espeon! An honest to goodness Espeon! He couldn't help the broad grin on his face. He'd seen an Espeon once, though he didn't know that it was called that at the time. When he was little, just a toddler, he'd seen one in Zirconia City with an Umbreon and their trainer was this guy dressed in dark colors with a long blue coat and the oddest colored eyes he'd ever seen on anybody. When he got his Eevee and was told that it could evolve into an Espeon or an Umbreon, among other Eon types, he could hardly contain his glee. The stories had said that the Prince of the Desert had twin Eons, a rare set of Pokémon indeed.

"So he's clean. I suppose that means Rui's gonna expect me to untie him, huh?" the older man sighed in faint exasperation. The Espeon yipped again. "Fine. ...Why the hell is he smiling like that for?" Another Pokémon piped up, adding its own voice to the air and Michael smiled wider. An Umbreon! He recognized that cry; that was an Umbreon! This guy had two Eons! "What do you mean he's **that **kid? ... No, he does **not **look like me and Rui! ... Oh, shut up, Pluto. What the hell do you know anyway?" The two Eons barked in sync and Michael could picture the guy throwing his hands up in exasperation. He certainly heard it in the guy's harsh exclamation of, "Whatever! Just go tell Rui I'm untying the punk and she can come deal with him!"

Michael felt the ropes falling away from him and listened to the older man complain the whole time, griping about smart-ass Pokémon, annoying kids from the city, and the lack of having finished his patrols because of himself. He didn't want to really stick around for the rest, and bolted the second he felt his ankles come free.

"Hey!" he heard the guy yell. Michael yanked off the blindfold and ran for the first door he could see... only to run head-first into a young woman carrying a tray of food. Plates, sandwiches, utensils and glasses of milk went flying everywhere as the boy thudded to the floor on top of the poor woman. "Rui! Are you okay?"

Owww. Okay, not doing that again anytime soon. How unheroic. Michael groaned softly in pain, rolling off the lady and rubbing his head. He'd smashed it right into that tray; it's a wonder he didn't get an imprint of it on his forehead. Out of instinct, he looked aside to see if the woman he'd run into was all right, and stared in shock at the pretty redhead who was now picking slices of meat off of her blouse. She looked familiar... awfully familiar. His eyes widened further. Incredibly familiar! This was Rui Evice, the Princess of the Orre Desert!

"You okay?" she asked him suddenly, blinking luminous blue eyes at him. He floundered for a response, scrambling backwards away from her. He had smashed headfirst into the Princess! And now she was sitting there, covered in lunch and asking if **he **was okay?

"If he doesn't quit gawking, he won't be." the man with the annoyed voice muttered and Michael whipped his head around to see who it was that had him all tied up and poking him with Eon noses. For a second, he felt like he was back in Zirconia City, with the dark trainer and his two Eons watching him silently, a smirk on his face that made him wonder what the guy was thinking. It was the same guy, the same trainer, right down to the odd thing on his left arm. The man scowled. "And don't gawk at me, either!" he snapped and leaned against the doorway, looking away from the boy, "Stupid kid..."

"It's you! The Prince of the Desert!" Michael exclaimed in realization, pointing at him as he put two and two together. The trainer with the Espeon and Umbreon, the legendary Snagger with his twin Eons and the Snag Machine, this guy with the same outfit, the same team and hanging out with the one and only Rui Evice...

"I'm getting just the littlest bit pissed about that title." the Snagger growled, shooting him a glare, "I have a name. It's Seth Evice. Stupid kid..."

"Be nice, dear." Rui remarked, standing up and holding out a hand to Michael with a warm smile, "I'm Rui, it's nice to meet you, Michael." He stared at her. How did she learn his name? "You look surprised. It's all right. Seth asked your Eevee for your name. You gave us a bit of a shock."

"You had me tied up and blindfolded!" Michael blurted out in disbelief, "What kind of shock has you do that to a kid? You're supposed to be heroes!"

"I told you that schtick was gonna come back and bite us in the ass, Rui." Seth growled, jabbing a finger in her direction before turning to frown at him, "And it was all for a precaution, kid. What the hell did you expect us to think, with you running around in the desert with a Snag Machine and half a team of Shadow Pokémon on you?"

"Um, that I'm like you, Snagging the Shadow Pokémon to turn them back to normal?" Michael retorted with an eyebrow raised. The Eons, who had come into the room at some point, both looked up at Seth and barked in unison. The older man squinted his eyes shut, clenching his teeth.

"I thought I told you two to shut up and stay out of this!" he barked back at them and Michael could have sworn the Eons only laughed in return. Maybe all of this was a hallucination from being out in the sandstorm? Desert heat must've finally burnt out his brain and he was either in a hospital or the morgue now. He grabbed onto Rui's hand and got to his feet, looking around himself in confusion. Wherever he was, it was all made of rock, granite maybe? He whistled; this was one expensive house, then. "By the fires of Ho-Oh, can we finish getting him cleaned up so I can kick him out?" Seth griped, face-palming at the sound. Rui giggled and Michael turned to stare at him. Why was he so wound up? He didn't much act like the hero he was portrayed to be in the stories.

"Still a little shaken up that he's so much like you?" the Princess asked her husband.

"Quiet." Seth answered gruffly, but his face had turned red and Michael had the distinct feeling that something had gone on that he wasn't part of but somehow made both himself and the Snagger of Orre the butt of some inside joke. Rui tapped his shoulder and he jumped a bit. Here he was, in the same room as the Prince and Princess of the Desert, and all he could do was stare and twitch at everything.

"Let's get you cleaned up and fed. Seth's still fixing your scooter, so let's leave him to that." she told him gently and led him away. Michael followed mutely, then felt the urge to look back at the man who had inspired him to be a trainer and was the reason why he was so eager to get his hands on the Snag Machine the professor had built. He followed the urge, glancing back, and saw the legendary Snagger flex his left arm, gazing at the dark blue and red machine he wore, before sighing and shrugging in exasperation.

"Should've known this was gonna happen someday. Fine. Whatever." he remarked and glared down at the Eons, "You tell Red about this and no treats. C'mon, we've got a wussy little scooter to patch up." The three of them left the room then and Michael managed a smile. His dream come true. He was face to face with the heroes he grew up admiring.

He'd ignore that 'wussy scooter' crack if he could get some Snagging lessons. Pointers from the pro, so to speak.


	2. Feather and Snagger

Michael wandered the halls and stairs of the stone palace where the Prince and Princess of the Desert lived. He had recovered from his heat sickness and had gone on his way after the scooter was repaired and the Prince had given him some advice on how to purify Shadow Pokémon. After several days of adventuring, the boy gave in to his yearning to go back and visit the royal couple, only to find that no one was home.

Strangely, the entrance to the palace carved from a small mesa was open. It was strange because Rui Evice, the Princess, often told him that the Prince of the Desert would seal it with stone to prevent entry if the two of them left. So, why was it open and vulnerable? Michael walked through the home, calling out the names of the royals in hopes that someone would answer. He half-expected some booby trap or security system to kick in and slap him upside the head or something at any moment.

When nothing happened for the whole hour Michael spent in the palace proper, he ventured to the staircase that led to the top of the mesa. Someone should be home, this was something Michael's mind insisted on because he had parked his scooter next to Seth Evice's desert speeder, the intimidating bike with its numerous pipes taking its usual place at the front of the palace. Even if Rui had gone somewhere, Seth should be here. He didn't go anywhere without that speeder; he had no other mode of transportation.

Right?

The redhead jumped in shock, spotting the elder Snagger lying battered on the ground not far from the stairwell leading down into the palace. He raced over, crying his name.

"Mr. Evice! Seth! Are you okay? What happened?" Michael exclaimed, skidding to a stop at the man's side and dropping down to put a hand to his shoulder. He jerked it back, eyes wide. He had thought his hand was touching the dark blue coat Seth wore, but he felt feathers instead. Feathers! Dark blue feathers! "What the-?" he breathed and reached forward shakily, gripping onto something solid and carefully pulling. A wing stretched back and open in his hands, and Seth jerked, uttering a soft gasp of pain. The wing snapped out of Michael's hands, fluttering wildly before folding down to hide the older Snagger's body from sight.

"Don't... don't touch me..." Seth growled softly, a strangely defensive tone in his voice.

"What happened?" Michael stammered, staring at the man, "You have... wings? Wh-what are you?"

"N-never mind it." Seth hissed, "I need... Do you have... any potions?" Michael blinked in confusion.

"Like, for Pokémon? Those kind?" he returned and Seth nodded sharply, the wing twitching as the man shifted in a failed attempt to get up. The redhead turned and dug into his pack. "Uh... well, I've got a Hyper Potion I picked up for free..."

"Spray it on me... my wings." Seth ordered softly and Michael kept his baffled expression even as he spritzed the medicine over the dark blue wings and the other Snagger. He grew even more confused and surprised as the injuries began fading and Seth lifted himself up, wings spreading back in full glory, stretching into the air before folding up behind the man and just vanishing into nothing. "Thanks." Seth muttered, stretching his arms before scowling at Michael, "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to visit. What the hell happened to you? And why do you have wings?" Michael shot back angrily, "Pokémon medicine works on you, too! What's going on?" Seth lifted a finger, wagging it as he clicked his tongue.

"That's for me to know and for you to forget about if you want to walk out of here in one piece." he returned and headed for the staircase. Michael scowled, sensing a huge story being hidden from him and his own curiosity screaming to know the answers to his questions. But he had promised when he first left them that he would keep their location secret and not tell anyone anything he knew about the royal couple. He hadn't understood why at the time, but Rui told him that it was to keep Seth safe, because he was special. There was a reason why he was called the Prince of the Desert, why Orre was transforming so quickly and radically when he walked through the desert, and that was why he had to stay out of sight until the work was done and he was forgotten to the people.

Did he just see a glimpse of why Seth hid himself away?

"This is complicated." Michael sighed and looked back at the ground where Seth had lain, spotting a dark blue feather just lying there in the dust. Glancing around for signs of the other Snagger, he reached down and picked it up, running his fingers over the feather. It was soft, slightly stiff, and almost as long as his forearm. It was the biggest feather he'd ever seen and the exact shade of blue as the leather coat that Seth wore. Tucking the feather into his vest, snuggling it between the vest and his shirt so it was out of sight, Michael hurried back to head down the stairs and join the other Snagger. Maybe he could ask Rui when she returned and she'd be a bit more open to answering his questions. Until then, he would check once more to see if Seth was okay, then head off on his journey again. The feather would be a personal memento, a way of letting himself know that all this was real and no one else would ever know, even if they saw the feather.

Michael kept his eyes on Seth as the man moved around the kitchen, putting together a small lunch for himself. Set before the boy was a plate with a sandwich on it and a glass of juice, both of which remained untouched as Michael continued watching the other Snagger. After assembling something a bit heftier than Michael's little sandwich, Seth set it down at the opposite end of the table, sat down, and glared at the boy.

"Stop staring at me." he growled, "The hell is wrong with you?"

"You have wings." Michael returned flatly, "The hell is wrong with **you**?" Seth scowled, stabbing a fork into a small cut of steak.

"Nothing! I am who I am, and it just so happens that wings are part of who I am." he retorted and bit into a chunk of meat almost savagely.

"So you're an angel?" Michael asked and the older man choked on the steak, pounding a fist into his chest to dislodge the food and swallow it properly.

"NO!" Seth finally managed to croak out and downed his glass of water in one go, slamming it back down on the table, "By the fires of Ho-Oh, what kind of idiot are you? I should throw you out right now for that wise-ass crack!"

"Well, what the heck was I supposed to think?" Michael argued back and bit into his sandwich, munching away as he puzzled over what he had seen. "Does it have to do with how you got Orre started in terraforming?" Another glare. Michael assumed that meant 'yes' in Seth-ese. "Pokémon stuff works on you... so does that mean you're a Pokémon disguised as a human?" he went on thoughtfully. If that was the case, then the Princess was... ew. Not going there while trying to eat.

"Out." Seth hissed, golden eyes flashing in fury, "Get out before I strangle you right where you are." Michael stared at him in shock, eyes wide with alarm and hurt. "Get out and never come back."

"But...!" the redhead protested softly and bolted from his chair when Seth stood abruptly, a murderous look on his face.

* * *

The scooter raced over the sands as Michael fled from the secret stone palace and headed for Phenac City, one arm rubbing at his eyes to block out sand because he wasn't crying. Not crying, he would **not** cry over this, dammit! That look on Seth's face, being thrown out of the palace like that, told never to come back by his own hero, the one man he looked up to beside his father... He was **not** crying!

There was a sound, like faint yelling, but he ignored it. It was just a trick on his ears, that's all. A trick... and he wasn't crying. He wasn't crying but he also wasn't watching where he was going and by the time he finally moved his arm, Michael's scooter was rushing full speed at a massive boulder, the first in a canyon full of similar sized chunks of stone, an abandoned quarry uncharted in the desert.

He screamed, certain he would die as he gripped the handlebars of his scooter. There was no use in turning, the rock was too wide, his speed too fast, and he'd noticed far too late.

But the boulder suddenly split in two, a thunderous crack as it just cleaved in half, leaving space wide enough for him to pass through. Now, Michael started swerving in shock, startled by what had happened. He kept screaming as his swerving brought him in the path of more boulders, his mind too locked up in freaking out to slow down or stop. The rocks seemed to bounce aside, rolling out of his way or just breaking to bits, and the canyon was racing by him at breakneck speed. What was going on? What was happening?

The wind suddenly kicked up, reversing direction and shoving him forward even faster. Michael shrieked again, voice lost over the howling, his eyes wide as he held on for dear life. The wind was more powerful than any he'd felt before, and it was lifting him, scooter and all, off the ground and into the air. Was it a sandstorm? A twister? Michael couldn't even cry at the idea, panicked as he watched the earth move further away from him. Some freak storm must have him in its clutches, and any second now the wind would die and cruelly smash him into the sands like so much debris. The feather in his vest was whipped out, spiraling away into the air, and Michael watched it with a sharp bite of sorrow before closing his eyes. Panic gave way to despair, to resignation, and he sighed softly.

He let go of the scooter, feeling himself be lifted away from it on the wind, air rushing over his body and making him feel like he was flying, soaring, free from everything. He clung to that feeling, desperate to hold it as comfort while waiting for the inevitable drop.

But Michael didn't drop. Something grabbed him, arms that wrapped around him, caught him and held him tightly. The air suddenly went dead around him at the moment he was caught, and he opened his eyes, startled by what was now happening. He looked up at the face of the Prince of the Desert, the man's expression one of intense concentration as he kept his eyes forward, watching something else.

"Don't speak." Seth muttered sharply, "Wait." Michael nodded dumbly, then turned his head to try to find his scooter. His eyes went wide at seeing the earth still far below him, the boulders in the canyon looking more like pebbles now. The shadow below them was strange... a blob of black with outstretched protrusions on either side. He was confused, until he realized it looked a lot like a bird's shadow, which mean that shadow had wings, and Michael had recently learned that Seth had wings... which meant...

He blinked again as his scooter came into view, the wind floating it along and dying slowly, dropping it steadily until it finally came to a fairly gentle drop on the desert sands.

"Finally. By the breath of Lugia, that was harder to do than I thought it would be." Seth sighed harshly, sounding faintly exasperated, "If it wasn't for Air Lock, I'd have been kissing desert long ago."

Once Michael's feet were touching earth again, the redhead turned to stare at the other Snagger, taking in the sight of the older man frowning at him with his arms folded over his chest, the dark blue wings flapping gently a few times before folding up and disappearing again. Had everything that had happened in the canyon been something Seth had done? The rocks moving, the wind kicking up, the scooter landing as light as a feather...?

He began babbling in delirium, pointing first at the old quarry, then up at the air, then at Seth. The other Snagger scowled, waving a hand at him in dismissal.

"Don't do that! It makes you look like an idiot and I'll be damned if I let your gibbering like a baby become associated with the title of Snagger." he groused before sighing harshly and running a hand through his hair, "Man, if I had known you were going to drive yourself to death over what I said..."

"Why would you care?" Michael finally snapped back at him, his face hot and... dammit, he was **not** going to cry in front of this man! "You said you never wanted to see me again! Well, if you hadn't _gotten in the way_, you **wouldn't** have!" Seth stared at him, a strange expression on his face.

"You wanted to die?" he asked in an oddly curious tone.

"Well... uh... n-no... not really..." Michael stammered back, suddenly feeling very stupid and ashamed.

"Because I can undo what I just did very easily, you know. I could kill you right here if you want."

"No! No... I just... I dunno..."

"You don't know **what**? You can't decide whether you want to live or die?" Seth pressed in irritation, "Hurry up then! With the way you drive, you're more likely to kill yourself out of stupidity before you figure that out." Michael blinked and the older man sighed, reaching out towards the scooter and the redhead turned his head to watch what he was doing. Seth's hand made a small gesture and what looked like two bowls of stone suddenly lifted from below the sands, clapping over the white scooter and entrapping it between them, swallowed by the earth.

_"What the hell?"_ Michael yelled, jumping back in shock at seeing what just happened, "Did **you** do that?"

"You don't drive until you decide whether you want to be alive or dead." Seth returned in disinterest, walking off to sit on a boulder. Michael scowled, sitting on a boulder of his own, far too angry with everything to even thank the man for saving him. He still had questions, all of it spinning in his head and making him dizzy.

"How did you do all that?" he grumbled, "The wind, the rocks... how? Pokémon can affect the weather, but you didn't call any Pokémon. It looked like you were doing it all yourself."

The sun beat down on them and Michael swayed sleepily on the boulder. He nearly fell off, but jolted awake at the gust of wind that pushed him back upright. He shot a glare at Seth, watching the man bring his hand down and rest it on the boulder he sat on. No doubt about it, the Prince of the Desert was commanding the winds and the earth. So was he a Pokémon or a person, or something in between?

"Well?" Seth called out, "That's the second time today you tried to die on me by stupidity! If you really want it, just tell me and I'll snap your neck so I can finally go home and finish my meal! You know I had to leave it out to come chasing after you?"

"Why would you come after me? You said you wanted me gone; I was gone! How much **more** gone did you want me to be?" Michael shouted back in exasperation, "And I **don't **want to die! I have to rescue the Professor and stop Cipher!" The rock nearby shuddered and his scooter reappeared, a little dusty but still in one piece. "And how the heck are you **doing** that?"

"I'm not called the Prince of the Desert for nothing." Seth retorted and slid down from his seat, walking towards the young Snagger with his arms folded over his chest again, a small frown on his face. "And... I came because... I wanted to..." he muttered and finally mumbled in a rush, "...apologizeforyellingatyou." Michael stared at him incredulously and Seth scratched at one cheek, faintly red at the cheeks. "That's the best you're getting from me." he remarked and pulled a familiar feather from within his coat, holding it out to the boy. "Here. I caught it before I grabbed you. I don't know when you got this, or from where, but you can keep it." he added. Michael accepted the feather, running his fingers over it again with wide eyes.

"I... I can?" he murmured, looking up at the older man. Seth nodded and the boy smiled widely. "Thanks!"

"Yeah, yeah." the older Snagger tried to shrug it off, face still tainted red, "Go on. Get back to your journey." He paused, gazing at the feather in Michael's hand silently before he sighed in resignation. "When you've brought down Cipher, come back to the palace." Seth told the boy quietly, "I'll tell you the whole story then." He reached out, brushing the tip of his finger over the feather. "The reason why I can do the things you saw me do, and why I have wings, and who I really am."

"Who you... really are...?" Michael echoed, surprised by the admission. Seth nodded.

"I can't tell you now. Not with Cipher around." he replied, "But if you can defeat them, it will be safe for me to tell you." The Snagger grinned suddenly, patting a hand on Michael's shoulder. "You're a Snagger, right? Get out there and topple Cipher like one, then!" he declared and gestured out to the desert, "And don't let this place swallow you like any other unprepared idiot. Be a Snagger of Orre; be prepared for anything!" Michael followed the gesture, looking out at the desert in awe. There was a sudden gust of wind, and he turned back to find the older man was gone. On impulse, he looked up and smiled at the speck of deep blue flying away high above the desert.

"Awesome..." Michael breathed and tucked the feather away, hurrying to his scooter to continue on his journey.


	3. Broken Snagger

Everything hurt.

Michael whimpered, curling fingers gripping the sleeve of his shirt lightly. The boy was tucked into a small space after crawling there, dragging himself across the pavement in pain, to take shelter between the wall of a dingy hotel and a dumpster. He tried to recall what happened, much of what he knew immediately was simply that he awoke in pain, his blood painting the pavement beneath him, and feeling the kind of agony that came from having broken bones. His head pounded and it was dark out, filling him with fright. Streetlights shone in the town, and one had illuminated his thin form on the ground. Michael felt too vulnerable in that light, too open to further harm; so he had crawled into hiding.

His clothes felt sticky with blood, and he strained his memory. What happened?

There had been some kind of meeting on the roof of a building -the hotel?- and he was there. Why was he there?

A flash of a cruel grin. A dark threat.

There had been a Pokémon of some kind, Shadow. The eyepiece had marked it.

_"Tell me where he is."_

_**"No!"**_

Something hit him in the chest, he felt winded -Shadow Rush?- and then he was falling. There was laughter, and then black.

The wind picked up, gently ruffling his hair, and Michael closed his eyes fully, breaths shallow as he rested against the filthy metal container, legs sprawled carelessly before himself, one arm numb and the other gripping his sleeve tenuously. He whimpered again. He'd been pushed; someone pushed him off the roof, wanted him killed. Now here he was, injured, possibly dying anyway.

He wanted his mom, his little sister Jovi; they would miss him, they were waiting for him. But he didn't have any strength left. Michael wanted to cry, felt the salty tears sting the scrapes and bruises on his face, but he didn't even have the energy to do more than squeeze those few drops out.

And then there was a shadow covering him, looming over him, and Michael whimpered again, fear rising higher. Had the mystery person come back to finish him, saw that his body wasn't where he'd left it and sought him out to truly end him?

A gloved hand was pressed lightly against his cheek, then moved to press just as lightly against his sides, testing, probing his body for injuries unseen, and he uttered soft little cries of pain.

"They got you pretty good. No internal bleeding at least; bruised ribs probably, lucky kid." a familiar voice murmured, soft and comforting and swift. Michael's arms were checked over, and he cried louder, sharp and agonizing. A softly muttered curse. "Broken arm. Snag Machine probably took some damage, spared the other at least." The same quick check on his legs and Michael gave another soft scream of pain. "And a broken leg. Damn, damn, damn. Bastards."

He fluttered his eyes open, wanted to see, wanted to speak, already wetting dry lips to talk, and the dark figure moved to run careful fingers along his temple, checking bloodied spots, and his vision swam for a second. Michael whined softly, trying to pull away.

"Hurts..." he managed to whisper.

"I know. Skarmory told me. Saw what happened while flying over Pyrite."

Arms wound around his shoulders, looped under his legs, and the boy's mind spun as he was lifted from the ground, carefully, gently, coming to a rest against a familiar slender figure, a young man who blended into shadows with the color of his jacket and jeans, golden eyes bright with barely kept fury and deep concern.

"Rui's searching for a doctor." Seth murmured, walking away from the scene as he carried the injured young Snagger, "You're not dying tonight. Not while you carry my title, and not before you can get back at the bastards who did this to you, even if I have to come out of hiding to get involved in this twisted game again."

* * *

There was light, soft and warm. Bandages were being applied, wound around his limbs and torso as splints were put to his broken arm and leg. He'd been given something to drink that numbed his body, made him feel oddly disconnected, and Michael spent the time he was tended to simply gazing up at Seth's face, fascinated by the play of alternating anger and worry while the man spoke with the doctor. Candles were their light, as the hotel's lamps were too harsh, too bright. In Michael's condition, the light would do more damage than good.

"He's lost quite a bit of blood. He'll be very weak, but he'll live." the doctor said, Michael could make out the words through the haze that settled over his mind, "And with his arm and leg like this... you say he's a Snagger? Like you?"

There was a pause, the sound of cloth rustling and a soft grunt.

"Ow... Rui! ...Oh." Seth gave a little jolt and Michael wondered if he smiled at the sight of the Princess of the Desert elbowing her husband, his face just felt too numb, everything felt so numb. "Ah, yeah. The damage to the Snag Machine's just surface stuff. I could probably fix that myself."

"The Snagger himself won't be doing anything for the next few weeks like this."

"But if he's held up, Cipher will have time to push forward on the Shadow Pokémon!" Rui's voice. She sounded worried.

"Then I'll take his place. He was heading for the old Lab, wasn't he? Just stopped here to pick up some supplies, right?" Seth pointed out, "I'll head there and see what's going on, Snag any Shadow Pokémon I come across, and then move on from there."

_"Tell me where he is."_

"No!" Michael blurted, sitting up in sudden panic, hand flying out to grab Seth's arm even as pain cut through that pleasant haze and assailed his senses, "D-don't! Don't go!" He cringed, sinking back as Rui and the doctor rushed to get him back down, rechecking his injuries and trying to get him settled again. His fingers still gripped the older man's arm, refusing to let go even as Seth frowned at him. He didn't move, much to Michael's relief; his fingertips were digging in, probably painfully so, but if Seth moved, he would just end up dragging the boy along. But he didn't move, didn't even flinch, and Michael was grateful to the elder Snagger for staying still.

"I second him." Rui added at last, her voice oddly chill for coming from someone who was usually bright and cheerful, "Seth, if this new Cipher got the data to create new Shadow Pokémon from someone other than Ein, then they must know about you and your power. They enhanced the Shadow process; if they manage to take you down like they did Michael...!"

"They're looking for you." Michael whispered hoarsely, licking dry lips again as he struggled to speak past the pain. The doctor turned aside, rummaging in his bag for drugs or maybe another dose of that drink. Michael ignored him. "They... had a Shadow Pokémon... and I remember." he gasped out, "Someone on the roof... asked me where you were... I didn't say... I swear I didn't say... and then I got hit..."

He felt Seth tense under his fingers, heard a hiss of anger.

"Seth... I know that look." Rui growled softly, "You _can't_ go take revenge for him! Orre needs you to stay hidden, to finish Wes's dream! If you go out now, you'll risk everything!"

"They tried to kill a **boy**! A _boy_, Rui! He's not even anywhere near my age when I first rebelled!"

"**You** were a vital part of their plan; of course they wouldn't kill you! And that was the Cipher ruled by Evice, not this new group that cares nothing for the power of the Snag Machine!"

"He's a Snagger! **My** heir! Like hell am I gonna let this new Cipher take out my heir!"

"Your time is done! A new Cipher calls for a new Snagger! You get involved, and you'll destroy what Wes began!"

There was a hush. Michael felt lightheaded again, sipping slowly at the drink the doctor held to his lips and watching the yelling match between the royals. There had been a surge of surprise, joy and pride when he heard the Prince call him his heir; like receiving the ultimate nod, an acknowledging of him that made everything, even this brush with death, seem so worth it. Then that last shout, and everything seemed to drop in temperature.

Under his fingers, the elder Snagger seemed to tense even more, going rigid almost. Was this Wes person someone really important? And why would the Evice name be connected to the old Cipher? More things he didn't understand, wouldn't understand until Cipher was gone, truly gone.

"I..." Seth managed to get out, and Michael could feel it now, a trembling, a shivering, in the arm he held onto so tightly, "Rui... that..." His voice was shaky, as though he were about to cry, and sounded shocked by it and his next admission, "...hurts..."

"Don't go..." Michael urged weakly, the room beginning to dim and go out of focus. Seth turned to face him with unusually shining eyes -were those tears?-, his wife turning to dig in her purse with a thin mouth, face set in a determined glare. "Please... don't... don't want... you... hurting... gone..." The drug was dragging him down, making everything blessedly numb and distant, his grip on the Prince beginning to go slack. He tried hanging on; if he let go, Seth will run and take his place and he couldn't let that happen, couldn't lose another role model.

He felt his fingers slip away, fear rising to try pulling away that heavy haze over his mind. This was it, now Seth was going to bolt and...

Rui turned around to face her husband quickly, just as he was about to get up from his seat by Michael's bed. A small compact was open in her hand, and she blew a purplish powder from it directly into Seth's face. The young Snagger watched with bemused wonder as Seth's eyes widened in surprise at the act.

"Rui! Why-?" he managed to cry before his head tilted back, eyes fluttering closed. A soft sigh, and he fell, guided by the redhead, to land somewhat awkwardly beside the boy, head resting on the pillows beside Michael. The doctor blinked at them both, looking between the sleeping Prince and the smugly smiling Princess as she closed her compact and slipped it away.

"What was that?" he asked, the very question Michael wanted to ask.

"Sleep Powder, collected from Vileplume." Rui returned, "That should cool him for now. I have someone I need to talk to about helping Michael recover. Will you keep an eye on them for me?"

Whatever came after that was lost on Michael. It wasn't important; he blissfully gave in to the urge to sleep, now that he knew Seth wouldn't be running off and unleashing weird element attacks on Cipher. And if he shifted just so...

Michael drifted off to sleep, his head resting against the shoulder of the elder Snagger, feeling comforted by the knowledge that he'd come to save him again, cared enough to want to avenge him, and now gave off a pleasantly warm aura that reminded the boy of his father. Things would be dealt with later, broken bones and all, but for now. For now, Michael was safe, warm, alive and feeling loved by two families.


	4. Snagger's Space

It was becoming more and more common for Michael to drop in on the royals for visits and even the occasional night over. Rui welcomed him warmly each time he showed up, adding him into their meals with no fuss and giving his Pokémon a place to rest and eat as well. Seth was a little cooler with him; heading out almost as soon as he walked into the door to check the area around their mesa, making sure he wasn't followed, sending one of his own Pokémon to follow the boy around when neither he nor Rui were nearby to watch over him. Michael wasn't sure what to make of the elder Snagger's actions. Did he trust him or not?

On this particular day, Michael was going to make a run at Mt. Battle and decided to stop in at the hidden palace to rest, recharge, and take stock of his supplies before heading off.

The Princess was warm and kind as always, greeting him with a hug and a chaste kiss on the temple, right over the little scar that was left when he'd been pushed off a hotel roof in Pyrite some few weeks ago. Michael's memory of that night was mostly a blur, and a few days after was a haze of painkillers, pain, and the warm fuzzy feeling he got whenever the words 'my heir' managed to pass through his mind. Then one day he woke up, the pain was gone, he was completely healed over and the royal couple had vanished again.

"You're just in time for lunch!" Rui told him brightly, herding the boy to the kitchen as she took his bag from him, "How goes things? Caught any new Shadow Pokémon? Do you need any help purifying them?"

"I'm okay, I'm good." Michael returned, taking a seat at the table and watching the redhead bustle about the cabinets after hanging his bag on a nearby rack. He still found that odd and kind of charming about the Princess. She was really down to earth and seemed to like doing things herself rather than have a slew of servants like most royalty had. He looked around as he noted something odd about the place. "Um, where's Mr. Evice? I haven't seen him at all since I came in. Usually he runs out to do a patrol or something the minute I show up." he asked uncertainly.

"Seth's busy with something in the house, some pet project he started up and mumbles about whenever I ask him about it." Rui answered with a chuckle, "Red helps him out now and then, usually by bringing something or another to the house." She set out a plate and cup of juice before the boy, the table already set with dishes and containers of food for lunch. "Actually, would you mind going to get him? I'll finish serving everyone here." she asked the boy.

"Oh, sure thing, Mrs. Evice. Where is he?" Michael replied, getting up to do just that. The redhead plucked a Poké Ball from her earring, expanded it and tossed it forward. An Espeon appeared in a burst of light and Michael couldn't help the broad smile on his face. Eevees and their various evolutions; he loved them all. "Wow... Is this one of Mr. Evice's Pokémon?" he asked eagerly, kneeling to take a closer look at the sleek creature. Rui giggled.

"This is Neptune, my Espeon. She's Jupiter's mate." the redhead answered brightly, "Didn't you realize? I have twin Eons as well." Michael gawked up at the woman and she giggled again, reaching down to tap his jaw back up. "Oh, you sweetheart! Go get Seth! Neptune will lead the way!" she cooed at him and went back to preparing the lunches.

* * *

"Awful lot of halls for a place that only has two people living here." Michael sighed, hands in his pockets as he trudged alongside the Espeon. He looked around at the decorated walls and assorted plants and furniture, the palace feeling more cozy with every visit. Still, he wasn't too sure why the royal home was so large for just a couple.

Then the Espeon yipped and Michael revised his thoughts. It was big to handle the Pokémon the royals had collected; he kept forgetting that it wasn't just Seth and Rui that lived here. He paid more attention to the 'rooms' that he passed by. The doors were constructed to let all Pokémon of various types and sizes open them on their own, as well as allow the royals to enter. So the Pokémon lived outside of Poké Balls when not needed for battles? That was kind of strange still for Orre, where the thought of leaving a Pokémon out was like inviting a thief to steal it. Michael snorted lightly at his own thoughts.

"Like anyone can steal from a Snagger." he mused aloud with a smirk.

"You'd be surprised what they can steal from us." Seth's voice suddenly derailed the redhead's train of thought, bringing him down to a tripping halt. He would have fallen on his face had the elder not grabbed the back of his vest and pulled him upright again. "You pull a 'I've fallen for you' joke out of that, and I'm drop-kicking you off the top of the mesa." Seth added dryly, but despite his tone he had on a grin.

"Oh... hi, Mr. Evice... heh heh!" Michael laughed nervously, "Thanks for the save. Um, Mrs. Evice says lunch is ready."

"Good. I'm hungry. Building rooms takes up a lot of energy." the elder Snagger agreed and set off back the way Michael came, "Come on. Don't keep Rui waiting too long. She starts getting... odd."

* * *

It was this way for the next few visits. Michael would turn up and be sent off by Rui to fetch Seth from wherever he was in the palace for lunch. He would get close to a certain hall, and the man would suddenly appear before he could turn the corner, herding him back to the kitchen.

What was going on?

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to ask why the elder Snagger was acting that way. So at lunch during his third visit in a week, the redhead carefully brought up the subject of Seth's 'project'. The Snagger only stared at him, eyes lidded.

"It was just a question! You don't have to look at me like I'm a pervert!" Michael complained loudly, shrinking in his seat.

"Well, I may as well show you. It's about done anyway." Seth sighed, "That... and Rui's been getting on my case about it, too. Damn it, why can't I just do things my way in my own house?" He stood from the table and walked out of the room, giving Michael barely enough time to scoop the rest of his meal onto a piece of toast and hurry after him, wolfing down the last of his lunch.

Throughout the walk, Seth kept muttering to himself, under his breath, and the young Snagger could only catch bits of the one-sided conversation. Something about time, money, and wishing he could kick something? Michael edged a little further from the man and made sure he had decent space, in case he would have to bolt back down the hall. Seth shot him a glare from askance and the boy gulped, moving back into his place at his side. So much for escaping first chance he got.

Eventually, they reached a door that wasn't labeled with a Pokémon name. Standing before it, Michael could only blink at it a few times before looking up at the stone-faced Snagger in confusion. Seth only gazed at the door himself, unblinking. They stood this way for another minute before the Prince sighed harshly and glared down at Michael.

"Why are you still staring at me?" he snapped, startling the boy, "Go in already and tell me what you think!"

"Eeps! Sorry, Your Majesty!" Michael wailed, racing for the room and throwing the door open to get inside.

"And **don't** call me that, you little brat!"

The room surprised Michael; it was large and well decorated with posters of Pokémon, different landscapes, and maps of Orre. The furniture was elegant and simple, wood of a kind that had to be imported into the region, a large bed off to one side, the latest in electronics and a TV thin enough to hang from a wall. His eyes went wide, taking in everything with an open mouth. The room was cut into the stone that made up the palace, probably thanks to Seth's power as the Prince of the Desert, and a few steps from the bedroom area the room dipped to the entertainment area, where the TV and electronics were located. To another portion, elevated on a series of steps, was a pool of hot water -like a hot spring- with a curtain rail passed above it to provide privacy.

The floor was of white marble, shining as though freshly mopped and glittering with the light from a golden chandelier that dangled from the ceiling. It was like... well, like a room in a palace!

"You better like it. I spent a month working on this thing with Red's help." Seth remarked dryly from where he leaned against the side of the doorway. Michael spun around to stare at him in shock, taking in the smirk on the older man's face. "You keep coming over so often, I figured you might as well just have a room of your own." he explained, gesturing at the room, "Rui did the decorating, Red brought the materials and furnishings, I just carved out the space and did the architectural work."

"You did all this... for me?" Michael breathed in wonder, gazing back around at the living space. There weren't any windows, but panels of glass were set into the walls with some odd switch by them, and they streamed in artificial sunlight to shine onto the floor as well. Seth walked in to stand nearby, hands in his coat pockets as he watched the boy. He gave a short nod, and the young Snagger lit up, eyes tearing up joyfully. Without warning, startling the Prince, he threw himself at Seth, hugging him tightly. "Thank you! This is amazing! I never would have dreamed of something like this!" he cried, "Oh, wow, if Jovi knew about this, she'd die of jealousy!" Then he froze at the sound of Seth laughing, actually _laughing_, at his words.

"All right, all right. That answers my question, then." the Prince returned with a grin, prying himself free of Michael's grip. He began to head out, waving a hand in dismissal. "The room's yours to stay in when you visit." he called back carelessly, then paused at the door to look back at the cheerful young Snagger, a now grimly serious expression on his face, "You're a Snagger, my heir. If things go wrong in any way, and I really hope they don't, then you know that you now have a place to come home to."

"Mr. Evice..." Michael murmured, stunned as his face flushed at what he'd been told. Could this mean...?

"Don't think I'm a sucker for charity-giving." Seth shot back, eyes half-closing in mock irritation, "This room is only for you and your Pokémon, and if you get run out of the towns and need a new place to live, then this room is yours for life. If you screw up bad enough to get your family kicked out of that Lab, _they _can't come." He pointed sternly at the boy, "So **don't** screw anything up!" With that, Seth walked off, grumbling under his breath again.

Michael stayed behind in the room -**his **room- and only grinned hugely. Yeah, Seth was being his usual grouchy self, but under it, he still cared about him. This room had to be proof of that! After all, he was the heir to the Snagger title, right?

"Hey, Dad." he murmured softly to himself, looking back out at the room, "I told you and you agreed with me. The Prince of the Desert can be like the desert, harsh and unforgiving, but when the time is just right... he's amazing and wonderful too." He closed his eyes, smiling. "I'm going to be like him and like you, a Snagger whose heart is for the people and Pokémon of Orre, and a researcher that uses Snag technology to protect them all!"


	5. Snagger's History

A/N: Hopefully this will provide a quick ref guide for anyone wondering why there's a Seth and a Wes, or why Seth has those wings, or anything else about him, without having to go and read the entire PC series I've written. Still working on UoS, though I'm being urged to work on something original in hopes of getting a published book out before the end of the year. Ouchu.

* * *

For as long as Michael could remember, everyone talked about the Prince and Princess of the Desert, the heroic Snagger and his partner that saved Orre and the whole world from the evil Cipher Corporation. He grew up on stories of how Seth betrayed Team Snagem, stole the last working portable Snag Machine, and rescued Rui Roane, who had the power to see the auras of Shadow Pokémon. They were his favorite stories to listen to, and he begged his parents to tell them to him every night before bedtime when he was young.

Then he met them, the legendary heroes themselves, and found that they weren't quite as fantastic and amazing as the stories made them out to be, but they were still wonderful people anyway. Even better, he learned that the Prince of the Desert had awesome powers, like a Pokémon. He learned from him, trained under him when Michael had the time to step away from his journey to topple the new Cipher, and things were just awesome. He was even considered by the Prince to be his heir as a Snagger.

Things just couldn't get any more awesome, or so Michael thought.

Then he overheard something that had bothered him for a while, ever since the night in Pyrite that a Cipher agent tried to kill him when he refused to say where Seth was hiding. A name; the name of someone who even Seth held higher than himself, who seemed to mean a lot -a whole lot- to the elder Snagger. Michael couldn't figure it out. Who was this person whose opinion meant the whole world to the powerful Orre Prince?

Who was Wes?

He didn't try asking Seth right away; that felt like a bad idea right off the bat. He asked about it, hesitantly, from Rui, and the Princess had looked startled, then saddened, one hand rising to just over her heart.

"Wes is the reason Seth is alive." she murmured, "If Seth is the Prince, then Wes is the King."

She didn't say anything else, so Michael was left with few answers and more questions. Wes, a King? King of Orre? Then why hadn't he ever heard of the guy before?

* * *

The young Snagger went to ask around the Lab, and even asked his mother about the name. He wanted to know, who was he? How did Wes save Seth? Was that why he was so important to the other Snagger? But no one knew anything. No one had ever heard of the name, knew of someone of that name.

Michael sighed, sitting on a bench as he thought harder about the name. Wes, Wes; it was a boy's name, and he was someone Seth looked up to, so maybe... He brightened, an idea hitting him. Wes must be an older person! So of course these people wouldn't know, because Wes was older than them all.

He made his way from the Lab to Agate Village and asked around there. The seniors all pointed to the house on the highest hill in response. See Eagun, they told the boy, Eagun would know.

So Michael went to see the eldest man in the village and was surprised at the warm welcome he received from him and his wife. Once he was brought in and set on a couch with cookies and milk, he was able to see why. There were photos all around of Seth and Rui, odd shots of them here and there doing any random thing, as though captured with them unaware. Michael could see the differences between those shots and the Seth Evice he knew today; the younger Seth looked more guarded, darker and more bitter, even with his attempts to lighten up around Rui and her bubbly nature.

There was even a wedding day photo, and Michael had to hold back his laughter at seeing Seth in a tuxedo, bright red as he stood next to Rui in her wedding dress for the shot.

"My granddaughter and her husband." Eagun remarked suddenly, joining the boy in the living room and settling himself into his favorite easy chair. He gestured towards the photo. "The happiest day in Agate Village was when those two chose to marry here. It was as if things had come full circle for them."

"Mr. Evice definitely looks happier now than back then, from the looks of the pictures." Michael agreed, nibbling on a cookie. Eagun gave him a surprised look.

"You've met them?" he asked and the boy nodded, "You're a lucky young man, though I suppose it was inevitable, being a Snagger yourself." At Michael's startled expression, Eagun gestured towards the silver machine on the redhead's arm. "I recognize the device in any form; Seth helped in the design of that particular model." he answered the silent question, "Now, what brings the new Snagger of Orre to my humble home?"

"I want to know about the man Mr. Evice looked up to when he was younger, the one Mrs. Evice calls the King of Orre." Michael told the elder man, "His name is Wes."

At the mention of the name, Eagun seemed to sadden, leaning forward to rest his hands on a simple wooden cane he carried.

"That's a name I haven't heard in many years." he sighed heavily, "Wes is the name that Seth had hidden behind for many months, but it originally belonged to a young man who lived in Orre nearly forty years ago. What I know is only a fraction of the story, if it can even be called that much. Long ago, Orre was undergoing a terraforming process, much like the one Seth is heading, but in that age, it was controlled by the Cipher Corporation." Michael gasped in surprise, eyes wide with that new knowledge. "Back then, Cipher was a company dealing in land and real estate, and it was very wealthy and influential. Much of Orre's land was bought by them with the intent to transform desert into forest and sell parcels back to new settlers. The CEO had a son, Wesley, who was going to become mayor of the first new city to be built after the terraforming."

The old man paused, running fingers over his beard in consideration. "You could say, he was the original Prince of the Desert, a man who represented hope for Orre, and had a desire to create a haven for people and Pokémon alike." he murmured and sighed in sadness, "But before any of that could take place, Wes left Orre to go on a Pokémon journey and learn about the world, and died in the forests of Kanto."

Michael felt his heart sink into his stomach, eyes filling with tears. The King of the Desert... died? Wes was dead, and Cipher turned evil, and Orre suffered for it. He clutched at his glass of milk. Seth's hero was gone, but why did he have such a powerful impact? If Wes had died so long ago, then how did the current Prince learn of him and hold him in such high regard?

"How does that connect to Mr. Evice? To Seth?" Michael managed to ask shakily. Eagun sighed again, gazing at the boy.

"Therein lies the problem. I don't know the exact details, but I've heard Seth and Rui mention something called the Project Wesley Files. A boy named Nett would know more about them, so he would be the one to ask." the old man told him and Michael nodded, determined to learn more.

* * *

He went to Pyrite, searching for Nett, and found the young man at the Kids' Grid base, working on some mechanical thing for the news network. Like with Agate Village, Nett had only to see the Snag Machine on his arm before growing comfortable around him. Michael could still pick up a trace of wariness though; this guy seemed to be on guard a lot.

"So, what can I do for ya? You're the new Snagger; the Kids' Grid has had experience helping out another Snagger, so just name it and we're on it." he remarked. Michael took a deep breath; he wanted to know, wanted to know all he could about Wes, the former Prince crowned King after his death.

"I want to see the Project Wesley Files." he finally said, and Nett jerked back, staring at him in shock as his mouth dropped open, "I want to know about the man named Wes, and why Mr. Evice knows him when he died so long ago." The little redhead shook his fists almost desperately, brimming with restless energy. "How does Mr. Evice and Wes fit into all this?"

The young man only continued staring at him before finally sighing and seated himself in a nearby chair, weaving his fingers together and gazing upward with a solemn expression. He was silent for a while, and Michael was beginning to think that the guy was going to deny everything or tell him that he couldn't see the files.

"You're pronouncing it wrong. You must have heard about it from Eagun; he always says it like that, and it's all wrong." Nett finally murmured, bringing his gaze back down to look directly at Michael, "It's called Project: WSLY, and it's not just a bunch of files. It's currently a server of hard drives, all storing Seth's memories and information, and it serves as the core of the Kids' Grid Network. All the data that passes through Orre's networking grid has to go through that core eventually, and it captures or edits anything that might trace back to Seth and Wes." He shrugged almost too casually. "Since you're the new Snagger, and you've found this much out on your own, I'll tell you the story behind it."

Michael took a seat of his own, eyes wide as he listened to Nett start his story. He talked of how Wes had died from a Pokémon attack in Kanto, how his death drove his father, Garik Evice, mad with grief and anger, and how he converted the original Cipher Corporation into an evil criminal empire, all dedicated to the sole purpose of resurrecting Wesley using cloning and genetic research, and then using the new Wesley to conquer the world that had taken him away. Project: WSLY was born from that desire. Nett spoke of Evice's minions gathering data and research from all over the regions, stealing cloning and manipulation technologies from Team Rocket in Kanto, and gathering the DNA of the legendary Pokémon of Hoenn to act as the basis of the new Wesley.

He talked of Wes's sister, Sera, who had grown cold and cruel because of her beloved older brother's death, and whose DNA was used to piece together the genetic material that became a super-legendary Pokémon who looked so much like a human, so much like Wes, that Garik Evice declared him his new son, declared that Wes had returned to them.

Sera named the creation Seth.

"Mr. Evice is a _Pokémon_?" Michael blurted out in shock and Nett hissed at him to be quiet.

"_Shhh!_ Don't tell the world, idiot! We've kept that secret for years now; we're not gonna let **you** blow it for us all!" the other man growled, "Even if you're the new Snagger, the Kids' Grid's primary loyalty goes to Seth!"

And Michael kept his mouth shut as Nett went on to explain Seth's existence. He was a Pokémon, but he was also human. He was both at the same time, which warped Nature but it seemed as if Nature allowed him to live as a replacement for Wes. Seth was sent to train with Team Snagem after his heart was sealed by the Shadow Pokémon Plan. But the seal came open, and Seth rebelled, turning against the very group that created him because of Rui and the two Eons. They fought against Cipher for two years, until Seth was killed during the battle at the Indigo Plateau after receiving his own Pokémon name. Nature intervened, brought his body back to fulfill Her purposes, but his memories had been lost.

As a creation of mankind, Seth was also used as a data server. This was from technology created in Kanto, the process used to create Porygon was used on Seth at creation to force his mind to act as a server for holding all of Cipher's data. When Cipher had their hands on him, they copied Seth's entire mind to hard drives for restoring their evil plans. Those drives were moved to Orre for safety. In the meantime, Seth had inadvertently summoned Wes's soul into his own body to understand what had happened in the meadow where he had awoken after death. Wes was discovered by Cipher and Rui and her friends, but Cipher kidnapped him and took him to Orre to be reinstalled as the core of their world conquest plot again.

Rui followed him to help him understand what had happened in the years since his death, and Wes also rebelled, using his personal knowledge of Cipher to destroy it financially before allowing himself to pass on and free Seth. The hard drives were recovered and used to reinstall Seth's memories and personality, with Celebi implanting the rest of his missing memories to finish the process.

Seth had never met Wes, the two never interacted, but it was Wes who sent the bulk of Cipher's riches to Seth in the hopes that the Snagger would complete the one thing Wes had dreamed of doing; transforming Orre into a paradise for people and Pokémon alike. Apparently, Seth took that dream to heart and had been following Wes's path ever since.

"I don't get it. Why does that make him the King?" Michael complained, "It's all like some crazy mad scientist movie, but how does it make Wes the King? And why would 'Nature' care about all this anyway? You'd think if something was made to warp it, Nature would do everything it could to wipe it out!" Nett sighed, rubbing his temples as though annoyed by him.

"While Wes was temporarily alive, he set things up to have Seth inherit everything; naming him Evice in all official documents, redirecting Cipher's funds into an account under Seth's name, declaring him a son of Garik in family records, that sort of thing. With the rest of the Evice Family dead or presumed dead, Seth was the only survivor left, and he inherited it all." the young man grumbled, "If Wes was the original Prince, and he passed that title to Seth, then it automatically makes Wes the King, and Seth would be the new Prince. But since Wes is dead, and **staying** dead, Orre has no King, only a Prince. And since there's still a fight over whether or not Orre should be ruled by a monarchy, Seth is still only a Prince in the corporate and financial sense of the word."

"Ohhh." Michael murmured, but there was still some doubt in his eyes and Nett could see it plainly, making him more annoyed with the boy. "But I still don't see why Seth cares so much about Wes's dream. Just because he was told about it, it really shouldn't make that much of an impact, right? Considering how he was back then and all?"

"He wasn't 'told' Wes's dream like that." Nett grumbled, fingers running through his hair, "Wes had a fiancée in Kanto; it turned out that he had left her some things as well, just before he died. She also followed Rui to help rescue Wes and was the one who laid him back to rest so Seth could return. According to Rui, one of the items left to her was a journal that Wes wrote in daily. She gave that journal to Seth, and as far as anyone knows, Seth still has it." He gave Michael a pointed look. "If you happen to find and read that journal, the rest of the answers you're looking for might be there. No one else has ever even seen that book. The Kids' Grid is responsible only for protecting and maintaining the hard drives that hold Seth's memories and Cipher's data, the server that we call Project: WSLY. Wes's journal is Seth's treasure, and so far only he, Rui and Wes's widow have ever read what's inside."

* * *

Michael found himself at the palace before long, questions still lingering in his mind. Mr. Evice was a Pokémon and a human, and technically, that made him an abomination, a distortion of Nature. By that, Nature should be trying its best to get rid of him, but instead it seemed to care about and protect him. Rui knew all about him, and loved him anyway -which still seemed to make Michael go 'Ewww', but he was trying his best to get over that- and Wes had made him the new Prince...

But why?

What was special between Wes and Seth that had Nature jumping through hoops to preserve Seth's existence?

If the answers were in that mystery journal, then Michael had to find it and take a peek for himself.

He felt a bit bad about that, but it was for the sake of learning about what was going on so he could be a better Snagger, could understand the way Orre worked better and maybe he'd act the way he should as a Snagger and stop Cipher that much more easily. And then maybe Seth would stop looking at him like he expected Michael to screw _something_ up.

Well, now he was looking at Michael like he was curious about something too. The boy blinked; did the older Snagger know that he'd been poking around in his past? His father always did say that a person knowing something they shouldn't had a certain look to their face that gave them away. Michael suddenly began feeling the pressure of discovery looming over him, and he kept his eyes on his lunch plate to keep 'that certain look' from being directed at anyone else.

"I'm pretty sure it's not going to walk off your plate the second you look away from it." Seth remarked dryly and Michael jerked his head up to blink owlishly at him. The Snagger had a smirk on his face, cheek resting on one fist as he gazed back at the boy. Rui sat by him, giggling behind her hands. Michael flushed in embarrassment and went back to poking at the breaded chicken and leafy greens that were part of the royals' lunch -he'd shown up right on time for lunch and he hadn't realized it until they sat him down and served him a portion-. It was even more embarrassing when it dawned on him partway through the meal that his own lunch was assembled by cutting down the portions for Seth and Rui.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about stuff." Michael apologized nervously, "I mean, Cipher's still out there, and I haven't quite finished snagging all their Shadow Pokémon and I still don't know anything about the one that dumped that ship in the desert..."

"That's gonna be a pain to get rid of." Seth muttered in agreement, and Michael just managed a weak smile at that.

"...and there's also that story you said you'd tell me after everything's finally done." he added almost hesitantly, watching the older Snagger for any signs that he might need to run soon, "About who you are and why you are the way you are. I... found out on my own..."

Somehow, causing Seth to stare at him with his mouth open and a forkful of salad still hovering in the air before it _didn't_ fall into one of those 'signs' to watch for, but it got his attention faster than anything else. Michael glanced helplessly at the Desert Princess several times, a slow cringe forming on his own face.

The fork came back down, almost inhumanly slow as well, and Seth withdrew from the table, unreadable expression on his face that even Rui was concerned to see. He managed a tight smile, more an upturned twitch of his mouth at the two of them, then left the room with a whispering sweep of motion that had his coat tail flutter just the slightest before disappearing. It kind of made Michael think of how he might have been long ago, to turn and stalk out into the desert with a flourish like that and golden eyes gleaming in anticipation of the next Shadow Pokémon to Snag.

Rui just looked at him blankly before blinking back to awareness and flushing. She excused herself quickly and got up to chase after her husband, probably to get him back to finish eating. This left Michael on his own and he fidgeted in place with no idea of what to do now.

But there **was** something he could do. Find the journal.

"Mr. Evice is probably gonna kill me for this..." he moaned softly, even as he slid out of his chair and ran out of the dining room.

He searched the areas of the palace he knew best, his Eevee at his side and darting along with big brown eyes scanning doors and chambers quickly. Michael never did get around to deciding what he would evolve his partner into, but he **had** decided on a name after a few days spent with the royal couple.

"See anything, Mars?" the boy sighed as they stopped at one crossing that had halls branching out to either side and in front of him. It was far too easy to get lost in the palace. The Eevee padded forward and lifted his nose into the air, eyes closing as he sniffed at the air before his ears shot up and he turned his head towards the left hall. With a bark that was more squeak than anything, the Eevee dashed down that way, leaving Michael to yelp and give chase to keep up.

Down one hall, then down another, it was a pattern that was kept up until the Eevee finally stopped and sat down in front of a large set of double doors, looking back over his shoulder as Michael slowed to a stop beside him, the boy panting as he gazed up at them. Here? Was Mars tracking by scent? If Seth read that journal a lot, then there would be a very strong trail that would lead right to it. Swallowing down his nervousness, Michael spread his hands against one door and leaned his weight into it, pushing the door aside little by little. It was hard at first, the wood was thick and heavy and probably from another region. There wasn't anything like it in steady supply in Orre.

When there was space enough for Michael to slip through, he squirmed inside and looked around the room beyond the door in awe. All around him were various things that didn't seem to make much sense to him; a few chunks of white marble and silver and plain rock piled in one spot, a mannequin dressed in tight black pants and a tube top with a dark blue jacket thrown over it, a pile of broken metal armor pieces with ruined circuitry and pulled wires sticking out from the exposed panels, a silver steak knife.

"What is all this junk?" Michael murmured with a puzzled expression and came to a standstill in front of a pedestal that held -could it be?- a copy of the Snag Machine that Seth wore on his arm. He reached out a hand shakily and placed it gingerly on the device. It was cool and smooth, all deep midnight blue and trimmed with red, but it was also badly damaged, with cracks and the bulbous forearm and shoulder structures crushed in, like some massive fist had taken it into its grip and just crushed it like a stress ball.

"What happened to you?" the boy whispered to the machine, "What's your story? I bet you went through a lot of adventures with Mr. Evice."

Reluctantly, he left the machine to go to the far back of the room, where there was yet another pedestal, this one surrounded by cooling devices and a soft light shone down on it from overhead. It highlighted a large leather-bound book, thick with pages that seemed oddly shiny, with the world 'Journal' printed on its cover in elegant script, sparkling with gold. Michael stared down at the book in amazement; this **had** to be the journal that Nett had talked about, Seth's treasure.

Delicately, reverently, Michael opened the book and marveled at the crisp paper edged in gold. This had to be the most expensive-looking journal he'd ever seen. Writing, neat and small, covered the pages, and Michael began to read, only briefly wondering where the royal couple might be now before becoming captured by the words on the paper. He read of a young man who dreamed of creating a paradise for people and Pokémon alike, of his kind heart and the feeling that there was more to him than he understood. He read of Wes's journey to Kanto, of meeting his girlfriend face to face for the first time and the happy thoughts of finally marrying her, of a dream that caught him up in vivid clarity and commanded him to leave a message of where to find a Time Flute and what music to play and then leave the journal in the hands of his beloved, so that it could help his future heir.

He read of the last night Wes lived in Neon Town, of a parade passing through and flowers in Anca's hair and his Eevee all but purring in joy, of a dinner date that ended with his marriage proposal accepted and gifts of adoration poured upon his new fiancée. And then the words stopped, and Michael carefully closed the book, the many blank pages that would never be written in fluttering from the motion. He hadn't realized he was sitting down in front of the pedestal until he raised his head and went wide-eyed at the sight of Seth Evice standing over him, gazing down at him with a mostly unreadable expression.

"Uh... I can explain!" Michael blurted out in a panic, hugging the book to himself. The older Snagger shook his head before kneeling down before him, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling.

"It's fine. You would have to have talked to Nett to find anything out about me, to even know that Wes's journal existed." Seth murmured and reached out to accept the book as Michael handed it back gently, "But do you understand why I am the way I am now?" The boy looked up at him tearfully.

"You were created to replace Wes, but you're different from him. All the dreams he had, all his hopes for Orre, you're trying to make them come true in your own way, to make up for him never having that chance to do it himself." he mumbled and rubbed at his eyes, "But I just don't get why Nature doesn't mind you being Pokémon and human at the same time." He didn't look up, just heard the sound of Seth placing the journal back on the pedestal, then lifted his head in surprise as the elder Snagger took a seat beside him and rested back against the solid stone, arms folded over his chest.

"Wes was supposed to be someone legendary, a one of a kind trainer with a special destiny." the man sighed, shaking his head, "According to Red, he was supposed to be someone called the Chosen Master, and there's only one for each generation of trainers. A new one isn't born till the current one dies, but Wes didn't get the chance to actually become Chosen Master. He died before he could." Michael looked up at him, confused, and Seth just gave him a wry smirk. "The Chosen Master is a protector of Nature, there to link humans and Pokémon together in peace and provide balance between human progress and natural forces. When Wes died, that link was lost for too long. You could say that Nature was royally pissed off for that."

"So... you were created to make up for it? And that's why Nature doesn't mind you?" Michael asked, eyes wide with surprise, "So, why is Wes King of Orre?"

"It's our way of honoring him." Rui's voice sounded out and both Snaggers looked to the doorway as the young woman stood there with a small smile, a pair of Umbreons and Espeons clustered around her. She stepped forward, walking up to them and reaching down to offer her hand to Michael. "If Wes had lived, if he had married his love and come back to Orre, and become the Chosen Master, then Orre would be paradise right now. Cipher would be a force for good and Pokémon would be free and happy here." she went on, and pulled the boy to his feet when he accepted her help.

"And that's what you're trying to do now, huh?" Michael wondered aloud and turned his gaze on Seth as the other Snagger rose to his feet.

"That's what **we're** trying to do." he corrected, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder, "Cipher can't be that force of good anymore, not after all the harm it's done, and Wes's dream would be lost if not for us, **all** of us. Only now I can't continue working, not while this new Cipher is out there following the old one's path." The redhead nodded, determined expression on his face as Mars trotted up to him and rubbed against his leg.

"Don't worry, Mr. Evice. I'll beat Cipher and then we'll make the King's dream come true together!" he declared, "I promise! I'm a Snagger of Orre; if I can't even do that, then I don't deserve this machine on my arm!" He felt himself puff up with joy and confidence at the proud smile on Seth's face.

"Spoken like a Snagger." he remarked with a grin at Rui, "I suppose I can forgive you for taking off the security on the vault to let him in here." The princess only rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Oh, Seth, you really should have known this was gonna happen anyway! He's a Snagger, and that meant he was going to run up to Nett and the Kids' Grid Network _eventually_!" she teased and turned to walk back out, winking over her shoulder at them, "Now let's go finish lunch; I can't send a young Snagger out into battle without a meal!"

Michael laughed, running after her with a renewed sense of camaraderie with the royal couple. Now that he knew more about what happened in the past, he felt more sure in that what he was doing would help all of Orre. He was another link to bringing Wes's dream to life, another protector of Nature.

Another Prince of the Desert, perhaps?


End file.
